African American Studies

The African American Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program that integrates the humanities, social and behavioral sciences and health related fields. A major in African American Studies leads to a Bachelor of Arts Degree. The Program also offers a minor. Since the Program requires only 40 hours for completion, students are encouraged to consider a "double major" with African American Studies.

The curriculum offered by the African American Studies Program advances knowledge about continental and diasporic African and African-American cultures and the history, literature, art, music, politics, economics, and religion associated with these cultures.

Our mission is to encourage critical thinking, develop analytical and writing skills, promote understanding and appreciation of contributions made by African Americans, and illuminate the complexity of race and the African American experience.

In addition to taking the required core classes for the major, students will have the opportunity to select one of three areas of emphasis: Global and Minority Health and Social Justice; Historical Investigation and Cultural Awareness; and History and Culture of Afro-Caribbean and Latino People.

The plan of study prepares students with critical knowledge, research skills, and communication skills to further their education in graduate and professional study in a variety of disciplines including African American Studies, Public Health, Criminal Justice, Public Administration, and Education; obtain employment in public health, social sciences, business and related fields; communicate effectively; and demonstrate the application of knowledge through community engagement.

The revised curriculum provides students more course options for completing the requirements of the degree. The revised curriculum also provides Areas of Emphasis that lead to a variety of career and graduate school opportunities. The three areas include: Global and Minority Health and Social Justice; Historical Investigation and Cultural Awareness; and the History and Culture of Afro-Caribbean and Latino People. As an African American Studies major, students select an area of study and complete enough hours to pursue a Master’s or secure employment in that area. Students are able to develop goals early in their academic careers and strategies for achieving their goals.

Must meet with the Program Director in the semester prior to completing the Internship.

African American Studies Honors Program

PURPOSE

The purposes of the Honors Program in African American Studies are to promote academic excellence; provide opportunity for majors to do extensive study and research in the discipline; and prepare academically talented majors to pursue graduate school or professional careers.

Participation in the African American Studies Honors program provides opportunities for academically talented students to have unique access to faculty and to interact with other honors students in an environment that encourages creative and innovative thinking. Seminar participation and research experience will be useful for graduate study or a career in the field. Completion of the Honors program is an advantage when applying to graduate programs. Finally, students who complete the program will be recognized at the African American Studies outstanding student ceremony and will graduate “With Honors in African American Studies.

Courses

AAS 100. African American Studies Seminar. 1 Hour.

AAS 100 is an initial course that introduces new majors and minors to the field and the African American Studies Program. Emphases will be placed on exploring the history and development of the AAS Program, major and minor requirements, internship and service learning opportunities and career options. Required of all new majors & minors.

AAS 165. Jazz Styles: History and Appreciation. 3 Hours.

American jazz with emphasis on instrumental and vocal performers, jazz bands, and combos. Development of big band, swing, and popular music.

AAS 200. Introduction to African-American Studies. 3 Hours.

Examination of seven core areas of African American Studies: History, Religion, Social Organization, Politics, Economics, Creative Production, and Psychology. Emphasizes major thematical theoretical and critical discourses of Black Studies, and its emergence as a political/social movement and discipline. Relates the latter to the complexity and diversity of contemporary movements such as Civil Rights, Free Speech, Black Power, and Afro-centricism. Majors and minors in African American Studies should complete this course before enrolling in any higher level AAS course. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets the Core Curriculum requirements for Area II: Humanities.

AAS 201. Honors Introduction to African American Studies. 3 Hours.

An advanced study of African American Studies as a discipline. Examines the seven core areas of the field with an emphasis on the major theories, critical discourses, and the emergence of Black Studies as a field of inquiry.

AAS 220. History of Sport: The African American Experience. 3 Hours.

This course provides a socio-cultural and historical overview of the African American athletes (male and female) that contributed to sports as we know them today. Focus will begin on the historical figures that helped shape sports culture and will continue into discussions about the role African-Americans play in collegiate and professionals sports today.

AAS 223. African-Amer Hist to Civil War. 3 Hours.

Survey of the African American experience from Pre-Colonial Africa to the End of the Civil War.

This course surveys the history of those countries of Latin America, e.g. Cuba, Brazil and Colombia, that comprise the heart of the New World's African diaspora, having received most of the roughly 10 million Africans brought to Latin American shores during the centuries-long transatlantic slave trade. It explores the dramatic experiences of Afro-Latin Americans including their roles in the destruction of slave systems, creation of nations based on democratic principles, and rise of vibrant multicultural societies.

AAS 290. Writing in African American Studies. 3 Hours.

Course offers students continued practice in reading, research, and writing central to academic investigation and to interdisciplinary approaches. Develops skills in writing across disciplines and critical thinking. Emphasizes readings on diverse, contemporary, and multicultural issues in African American Studies. Writing, Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.Prerequisites:EH 101 [Min Grade: C] and EH 102 [Min Grade: C]

AAS 300. African American Music. 3 Hours.

Survey, history and appreciation of African derived music and its presence in the United States from its earliest forms in spirituals, blues and jazz to contemporary forms of be-bop, hip-hop, reggae, and rap.

AAS 301. History and Tradition of Gospel Music. 3 Hours.

The purpose of this course is to broaden the knowledge of American Gospel Music history and to identify the valuable contributions of this genre by studying its eras and major contributors.

AAS 310. Black Image: Screen and Television. 3 Hours.

History and definition of the image of the African-ancestored people in the United States through cinema and television.

AAS 311. Race and Representation in Media. 3 Hours.

The course critically assesses the depiction of race in various visual media presentations. It explores how race is projected in media and how these media structures can create, support stereotypes of race and perpetuate social inequalities.

AAS 320. African Identity/Personality. 3 Hours.

This course is a study of the African identity, personality, and the concept of ¿blackness¿ with particular emphasis on what it means to be black in America. An adequate discourse on the complexities of African American Studies requires a multi-disciplinary approach that considers the expansive nature of the African Experience in North America. Accordingly, any substantive intellectual and scholarly foundation for critically understanding the salient areas of this course require the application of cross-discipline areas of study involving race, culture, socioeconomics, history, African American political behavior, and psychosocial theories of development. Quantitative Literacy is a significant component of this course.

AAS 325. Black Psychology. 3 Hours.

This courses examines and explores theory, research, and practice related to the study of psycho-social experiences from the worldview of Africans in America.

Psychology of Hip Hop uses hip hop music and culture as conceptual lenses for analyzing and interpreting the life experiences of people of African descent throughout the African diaspora. Drawing mainly on psychology as well as other social sciences, this course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the psycho-historical and psycho-social development of African Americans relative to hip hop culture. This course explores and examines the thesis that African American music is an expression of African American life. Thus hip hop music and culture serve as soundtracks that allow the opportunity to listen to and learn from this particular manifestation of what W. E. B. Du Bois called the souls/psychology of Black folk.

AAS 350. Research Methods in African American Studies. 3 Hours.

Research Methods in Africana Studies will introduce students to a general conceptual framework for ordering the social theories and methods that people of African descent have used to interpret and understand Africana life experiences.Prerequisites:AAS 200 [Min Grade: C]

This course introduces students to important health issues that face the African American community. The goals are to increase awareness and stimulate discussion about health problems facing African Americans, factors believed to cause, contribute or worsen these problems, and steps now taken to alleviate or eliminate these problems.Prerequisites:AAS 200 [Min Grade: C]

AAS 448. African American Poetry Tradition. 3 Hours.

Development of African American poetry from its early works to the present, including Wheatley, Dumbar, Hughes, Brooks, and Angelou.Prerequisites:EH 101 [Min Grade: C] and EH 102 [Min Grade: C]

AAS 490. African American Studies Internship. 3 Hours.

On campus and off campus training positions in filed utilizing cross disciplinary skills, with some positions offering external funding. Students should contact the Program Director for listings of available positions and application procedures. May be counted as elective only. Preq: Junior or senior standing as African American Studies major and approval of application. May be repeated once for credit. Permission of the Program Director is needed.Prerequisites:AAS 200 [Min Grade: C]

AAS 493. Capstone Seminar. 3 Hours.

Specific topics vary...The course will provide an opportunity for students to reflect upon and to use the knowledge, skills and dispositions developed in previous African American Studies coursework. This course or AAS 495 required of all AAS majors. AAS 493 is ideally taken in the final undergraduate semester. Preq: 9 hours AAS coursework at the 400 level and permission of the Program Director. 3 hours.

AAS 495. Individual Studies. 3 Hours.

Specific topics vary. An individually designed course for semi-independent research or guided readings in areas and subjects that synthesize the African American Studies core areas. The course will provide an opportunity for students to reflect upon and use the knowledge, skills, and disposition developed in previous African American Studies coursework. This course or AAS 493 required of all AAS majors. AAS 495 is ideally taken in the final undergraduate semester. Consult Program Director for procedure to apply for this course.

AAS 497. Honors Seminar. 3 Hours.

The African American Studies Departmental Honors Program requires completion of a two course sequence. This first course in the sequence provides students with an overview of the research process. Students are taught the basics of research, statistical analysis and techniques of making a formal presentation of research. Under the guidance of the Program Director and faculty mentor, students are required to develop an honors research project.Prerequisites:AAS 200 [Min Grade: B] and AAS 325 [Min Grade: B] and AAS 350 [Min Grade: B]

AAS 498. Honors Project. 3 Hours.

Under the guidance of the faculty mentor, students complete the project and make a formal presentation of the research.Prerequisites:AAS 497 [Min Grade: B]